Travel Safe Monarchs

Monarch caterpillars need milkweed to grow, but the butterlies will drink the nectar from numerous flowers, fruits and vegetables in gardens

Doreen G. Howard

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A week ago, I waved goodbye to the last Monarch butterflies that hatched in my garden on the plentiful ascelpia tuberosa, orange milkweed.

They’re flying south to the border regions of Texas and Mexico, where they’ll hibernate for the winter.

I’ve been blessed with plenty of the orange and black pollinators for months, from March until October. The first ones arrived during an unusual March heat wave, usually when the landscape is still dormant. But this year, with four weeks of 90ºF heat, fruit trees bloomed, perennials sprouted and some bloomed. It’s fascinating how the Monarchs in Mexico knew it was time to fly up to the Wisconsin-Illinois border a month early. They were able to produce an additional generation this year, because of the early start.

Monarchs normally produce four generations or life cycles in one calendar year, and they go through four stages during one generation. The four stages of the monarch butterfly life cycle are the egg, the larvae (caterpillar), the pupa (chrysalis), and the adult butterfly. The four generations are actually four different butterflies going through these four stages during one year until it is time to start over again with stage one and generation one. This year, there was a fifth in my garden.

The arrival of the first Monarch butterflies in the spring heralds a season full of color and interest in gardens. Photo courtesy of the USDA.

How it starts.

In February and March, monarchs come out of hibernation to find a mate. They then migrate north and east in order to find a place to lay their eggs. This starts stage one and generation one. In March and April, the eggs are laid on milkweed plants. They hatch into baby caterpillars, also called the larvae. It takes about four days for the eggs to hatch. Then the baby caterpillar eats milkweed in order to grow. After about two weeks, the caterpillar will be fully-grown and find a place to attach itself so that it can start the transformation process. It attaches itself to a stem or a leaf using silk it spins and transforms into a chrysalis. Within the chrysalis the old body parts of the caterpillar undergo metamorphosis to become a butterfly that will emerge in 10 days and fly away. It feeds on flowers and fruits in gardens for two to six weeks. This first generation monarch butterfly will then die after laying eggs for generation number two.

The second generation of monarch butterflies is born in May and June, and then the third generation will be born in July and August. These monarch butterflies will go through exactly the same four stage life cycle as the first generation did, dying two to six weeks after it becomes a monarch butterfly. This year, because the process started early, there was a fourth generation in late August.

The final generation (fifth this year) of monarch butterflies is different from the others. It’s born in September and October and goes through exactly the same process as the previous generations except for one part. Butterflies don’t die after two to six weeks. Instead, they migrate to warmer climates like Texas, Mexico and California, where they hibernate for six to eight months until it is time to start the whole process over again.

The right food.

Monarch larvae (caterpillars) eat only milkweed, which contains all the vitamins, minerals and other nutrients needed to transform the larvae into a butterfly.

Vivid orange milkweed (ascelpia tuberosa) in my garden is a magnet for Monarchs. The native plant is easy to grow, drought-resistant and a colorful addition to flower beds.

Adult butterflies consume flowers with nectar, water and even liquids from backyard fruits. To attract monarchs, plant milkweed, of course, flowers and a few fruit-bearing trees. They like to drink from mushy slices of banana, oranges and watermelon, too.

~ By Doreen G. Howard

About This Blog

Get inspired by Robin Sweetser's backyard gardening tips. Robin has been a contributor to The Old Farmer's Almanac and the All-Seasons Garden Guide for many years. She and her partner Tom have a small greenhouse business and also sell plants, cut flowers, and vegetables at their local Farmer's Market.